Melissa Goudeseune

With the centreboard trunk out, next up was bulkhead 3, which needs to be reinstalled before the new centreboard trunk. The old one came out comically easy: I then carved out the worst of the keel rot, and set about replacing it with new wood, which will be further glassed in place with biax. The challenge was to reach the bottom of the hull, without turning it over. With two bulkheads (and a bunch of stringers) missing right now, I did not want to turn over the boat. The solution was a couple of axle stands under the cradle . A length of rope around the lower casters works admirably as a wheel chock: New wood, being held in place with shop weights while I trace the outline from below: Two blocks of wood span the opening, held by a C clamp to keep the two halves of the planking aligned during this process: The wood was shaped using my various woodworking tools (mitre saw, handheld planer, etc). I have a large-format CNC router, but sometimes it's quicker to just do it by hand -- especially when trying to fit to an existing, irregular part. Here is the new piece of the keel glued and screwed in place. The screws are necessary to clamp it, as I don't have a C clamp big enough to fit around the boat . They will come out after the glue dries, and the holes will be plugged. The red marks are for alignment.

The quarter knees were not secure -- not a good thing for a structural part of the vessel. I did not fancy removing the gunwale to access the mounting screws, as the gunwale is securely glued. I opted for a metal-cutting blade in my jigsaw, and did a cut along the joint between the inwale and the knee, cutting straight through the stainless screws. The knee, held in its usual location: The aft face of the knee: shiny epoxy. There was no bond with the transom. The mounting face on the inwale. The abraded parts are where the jigsaw cut through the epoxy. The dirty parts are where there was no bond. The mounting face on the transom. This appears to be weathered varnish. The one screw was the only connection between the knee and the transom.

Nice weather offered an opportunity to sand down the deadwood outside. The warning pylon is to avoid impaling myself on the pointy end. I have a number of these 9" pylons that I use in my workshop around temporary hazards.

With all the measurements taken, I moved on with disassembly. Half of bulkhead 4 (which is bisected by the centreboard trunk) is shown here. I made one cut at the knee, as the direction of the stringers prevents simple removal of an entire bulkhead. You can also see the state of the bulkhead where the end grain was exposed to standing water. This was marine ply! The first half of the centreboard trunk was also removed. The discolouration shows the level to which water was standing inside the hull. The epoxy coating on the inside face of the wood is gone -- from water migrating through the wood. With the centreboard trunk removed, the remains of the keel at bulkhead 2 is visible. Probed with a chisel, this wood offered as much resistance as a slice of bread. Yikes.

Before removing any of the bulkheads, I took offset measurements of the middle bulkheads. I could have used the plans, but I wanted the actual offsets of this boat, not the hypothetical perfect build . I placed an aluminum beam in the corner of the knee at bulkhead #2 and #6. These aren't the names used in the plans, but they serve my purpose of identifying them in the boat. #1 is at the bow flotation chamber, and they increase in number going aft. At each bulkhead, I took photos of a tape measure placed in the corner. What I didn't picture here is the other 200 photos I took of other measurements.

I have two questions relating to the masts. The builder added this assembly of 2x2 lumber to the bow, presumably to help support the main mast. The distance from the mast step to the deck is about 14". This framework extends that height to 21". I'm wondering if it's necessary? Also, if it is, would I be better served by installing the new deck at the level of the sheer, and extending the bulkhead upwards to meet it? Next, the two mast steps are installed with a mortise on the step, and a tenon on the mast heel. I don't have the plans, but this strikes me as a bit odd, as it would allow water to sit in the mortise. Should I change this around to have a mortise in the mast, and a tenon at the step? Alternatively, a drain hole in the base of the mast step would allow any water to drain into the bilge. Thoughts?

Why to avoid drilling holes in your boat (even in the deck). The prior owner drilled two 1" holes in the aft flotation chamber to lead the wires for the electric trolling motor. In this photo, you can see a discoloured triangle above each stringer, where water accumulated before spilling over to the next stringer. Cleanup of the interior progressed rapidly this weekend, when I moved up to using an angle grinder for stripping paint . This made it much easier to see the condition of the stringers. It also covered my entire workshop in dust! At the bow, the uppermost stringer fell apart when I touched it -- surprising, given its location.

The outside of the hull was sanded down with a random orbital sander, removing most of the loose paint. I also removed the badges at the bow and stern. Ironically, they were installed more securely than the seats . The deadwood was also removed, as described previously. A closeup of the centreboard case. It appears the planking is loose from the case, which is why I'll be removing the case and reinstalling it with fresh wood. How I removed the athwartship seats (front seat pictured). Using a jigsaw, I removed the middle section of the seat. A renovator's bar (fancy crowbar with a large bearing surface) was used to break the bond with the bulkhead. Then I clamped a block of wood to the edge, and used a hammer to knock it loose from the stringers. In this photo you can see why it was easy to remove. The blobs of epoxy on the lower stringer (1x1) are smooth -- they made no contact with the seat whatsoever. There was also little contact with the 1x2 stringer above.

Thanks, Chris. The crane was a DIY project too. I bought the design from http://www.synthx.com , and welded it up myself. It's come in very handy for many projects! In boat progress, I just ordered replacement plywood for the deck, seats, and parts of most of the bulkheads. That should all be here in a week or two. In choosing between "big box crappy plywood" and marine plywood, I decided to split the difference and go with Baltic Birch. Epoxy-coated and painted, it'll be a huge improvement from some of the uncoated (!) marine ply I just removed. The added incentive for Baltic Birch is that I can get it locally (5-minute drive) vs. half an hour (nearest big box store) or 3 hours (Noah's, in Toronto).

Today I removed the six lengthwise seats. Work started with a screwdriver and impact driver, and rapidly progressed to a hammer and chisel. The cleats supporting the seats were softwood, and split quite easily . Don't mind the inverted sawhorses -- I haven't moved to Australia. I just rotated the photos to make them easier to see. The boat's still upside-down. I'm also in the process of removing the deadwood, which is loose. Much of the epoxy between the keel and deadwood came out quite easily. The majority of the screws holding it in place were stainless steel. Except, of course, the last two in the stern flotation chamber, which are a bear to get at. They're plated steel, so they rusted. The aft-most one has a hex head, which has sunk partially into the keel, so I can't get a socket onto it. The other one, for extra flavour, has a square head . Fortunately, plated steel screws have one redeeming quality: they're ferrous, so they attract magnets. A stack of rare-earth magnets worked like a charm to locate them, so I can surgically remove them from outside, without turning the entire deadwood into swiss cheese.

I scraped the bottom of the hull to remove the worst of the loose paint, with the boat sitting on blocks. That got real old real quick . The crane was used to lift the boat onto three sawhorses. Added bonus, it's easier to work on the hull overhead, than it is leaning over into the hull (when it's right-side-up). Among the tools in use so far: carbide scraper, several knives, 1" chisel, impact driver, deadblow hammer, renovator's bar. Oh, and the ubiquitous safety glasses, which I'm always wearing in the workshop.

Next up was turning the boat upside-down to start work on the hull. Again, the gantry crane worked like charm.

With the boat parked outside briefly, I raised the masts. I was hoping to raise the sails and take some photos, but I didn't want that much excitement -- winds were strong and gusty . Next we backed the trailer into the workshop, and used the gantry crane to lift the boat off the trailer.

This thread will document the repair and rebuilding of a Penoscot 17 sailboat, designed by Arch Davis. Today's weather was beautiful, just what I needed for moving the Penobscot 17 from my tent into the workshop. The door lifts upward with a winch. I have barely enough room to squeak the boat through the doorway, so I didn't want the doors opening sideways.

Frank, I've tried changing my time zone, but it doesn't work. After I click "save changes", my time zone is still GMT. I tried deleting all my cookies from messing-about.com and logging in again, but that didn't help. Any ideas? Michel

Thanks for the great ideas, especially the wooden bilge pump! Very appropriate .

I'm in the process of refurbishing a Penobscot 17 that I purchased used in the summer of 2010. Two photos attached, from the date of purchase. It had been sitting outside for several years under a (rapidly-falling-apart) tarp, which allowed significant water to accumulate in the bilge . At least one bulkhead is rotted, due to standing water. The former owner used a trolling motor with two 12V batteries. I've removed the battery mounting tray, as I have no desire to drag along 120 lbs of batteries. It's a sailboat, I'll sail it . Two questions about keeping water out: 1. It occurs to me that the boat would have sustained less damage if they had simply drilled a hole in the deepest part of the hull, to allow standing water (rain and condensation) to drain out. Is there any point to installing a bronze garboard drain plug there? This might help with washing out the boat as well, I suppose. 2. The boat came with a small electric bilge pump, which is not functional to me, as I'm not putting the batteries back aboard. Typical wisdom calls for a bucket aboard a small boat. This one has floorboards, which sit a few inches above the deepest part of the hull. I'm leaning towards a manual diaphragm-style bilge pump (whale gusher, or similar). What I'm wondering about is where to plumb the outlet. Sending it to the transom makes sense, but I don't want to drill a hole in the 1" thick transom. Is my best option likely to have a length of flexible hose, which can be directed overboard to either side, as needed? There will be many more photos to come of the rebuild, which I'm starting in the next few weeks. Thanks

That looks like a Vandestadt & McGruer Spindrift. A friend of mine, Peter Sleggs, owns one. I have a few photos of his Spindrift on my old website: http://sailing.guild.org/dinghy/ Peter may be able to provide you with more detailed photos of the rig.

Hi Garry, Those two photos actually came from Gordy Hill. I posted them for him very shortly after the EC2007 in this thread: http://www.messing-about.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5341 Those two photos on the WCTSS site are resized copies of these two photos: http://zx81.isl.uiuc.edu/ec2007/P1010091.jpg (1280x937 pixels) http://zx81.isl.uiuc.edu/ec2007/P1010098.jpg (1280x737 pixels) Michel

I've done a number of test samples so far, testing deflection with different foams and types of fiberglass. I was most surprised at a couple of samples where I only glassed one side of the foam. I didn't take any measurements, but with the skin in compression (i.e. the inside surface of the dinghy), they resisted bending more than with the skin in tension. Personally, I don't think the foam and fiberglass would be able to easily conform to the curves in the bow of a Spindrift if the inside was glassed first. At least, that's not how I'll be building mine. I'll be vacuum bagging the whole dinghy, which brings its own issues, not the least of which is epoxy gel time. The EAST 1032 resin and 834 hardener has a published gel time of 20 minutes, which is nowhere near enough to wet out about 70 sq ft and get vacuum pulled in time. Not an issue for an atmospheric cure, but new technologies bring new problems . Michel

What kind of foam are you using? Also, how did you join the foam to make it long enough? A narrow strip of fiberglass at the joint? I'll be following this build with interest, as I'm planning on building a fiberglass-over-foam Spindrift 10 this summer. Michel

Beyond the material cost of sails, there's a very good reason for making your own, as I found out when I made a set for my Tanzer 22: http://sailing.guild.org/tanzer22/projects/sails.html#new_sails Before then, I considered the design and construction of a sail mostly a black art. Having made a set of sails, it's now clear that there's a reason for all the features in the sail, and how they work together. For example, the clew patch: a shackle connects to the metal ring, which is sewn into the 4 layers of sailcloth patch (of increasing size), which are sewn to the sail. So a point load from the shackle is gradually transferred to the main body of the sail. That never occurred to me, until I actually made a sail. Another bonus is that I can do any repairs myself, without having to wait for the sail loft during our (too-short) sailing season up here in Ontario. Jan: I'm impressed that you're making the sails from scratch. I made mine from pre-cut panels from http://www.sailrite.com/ which simplifies matters significantly. Michel

At long last, I've completed both my Minipaw dinghy and the website! http://sailing.guild.org/tanzer22/dinghy/ Over 500 photos detailing the build over the course of almost three years. Michel

Some answers: I used 3" tape on the Minipaw. As you described, the edge is a blessing and a curse. The tape doesn't unravel when being handled, but it does create a ridge which should be faired or ground down with a scraper. With careful handling, cutting your own tape from cloth should be just fine. Charlie posted a thread yesterday about "circular cutting wheels" which make cutting fiberglass MUCH easier than using scissors. I would stay FAR away from the chopped-strand mat fiberglass. It's normally used in a multi-layer layup, alternating with woven roving. It will also absorb lots of epoxy, which will only serve to make your boat heavier and more expensive. Stick with woven roving or biaxial at the most. I'm not sure about the 8x2 dimensions you refer to for the mast. Inches, centimetres? Birdsmouth would probably be the best lamination for a wooden mast. Charlie's a much better source for info on birdsmouth construction, but I doubt that glassing it would really be necessary. Also, there may be better woods than cedar for a mast. Charlie? Michel

The basic idea is to lay up the fiberglass and carbon over a mandrel, coat with epoxy, and then pull the vacuum. Once the epoxy has cured, open the bag, remove the bagging materials (release fabric and breather cloth), and remove the mandrel. I've done a fair bit of vacuum bagging on the seats of my Minipaw, which is very close to completion. The outside is done, and the inside got its first coat of primer this afternoon. I'll have a large update to my dinghy webpage in the next few weeks, which will explain the vacuum bagging process as well. As a teaser, my vacuum pump setup is a slightly modified version of the vacuum pump described here: http://www.joewoodworker.com/catalog/vacuum_press.php In fact, my pump and most of the fittings came from there, as his pricing and availability are way better than most local hardware stores. Michel